Presentation ‘Uncertain Flight: a Refugee’s Journey’ at Belfast church

Community Author: Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast

Post Date: March 5, 2018 2:40 pmUpdated: March 5, 2018 4:20 pm

Contributed

Contributed

BELFAST — Jen Gunderman of Liberty, who has made multiple journeys to Greece with several organizations that provide relief to refugees arriving from throughout the Middle East, will present a talk on her work “Uncertain Flight: a Refugee’s Journey” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 23, at Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast, 37 Miller St.

Since becoming involved in relief work, Gunderman has spoken out about the need for greater understanding of what it means to be a refugee who flees to save their lives and those of their families. She relates refugees’ stories of surviving dangerous journeys and holding onto hope. And she speaks passionately about our role in providing safe passage and resettlement opportunities for people who have literally lost everything – their homes, their possessions, and often family members – to the many conflicts that have contributed to this exodus.

The program is a fundraiser for MidMaine YoUUth, a group composed of youth from Unitarian Universalist congregations from Belfast, Ellsworth, Bangor, and Rockland. The group will be traveling to New York in April to attend an intergenerational conference titled “When Crisis Calls: Advancing Just Migration for All”. The event is hosted by the United Nations office of the Unitarian Universalist Association and will include a tour of the United Nations’ New York headquarters. The youth have been meeting and preparing to attend this conference for several months, through study and reflection on the many aspects of the current refugee crisis.

The presentation will be accompanied by hearty refreshments from with a Mediterranean flair. Suggested donation is $10-20 and will support the youth group attendance at the NY conference.

Jen Gunderman is with Westbrook College of Health Professions at the University of New England.